I am a bit late in sharing this, but here goes...
Welcome to my annual look back at favourite black and white film photos from the previous year! The 2023 edition!
I again shot a lot of film in 2023, experimenting with a wide variety of film types.
The first image I'll share here brings to mind some classic Dylan lyrics:
Well there ain't no goin' back
When the foot of pride comes down
Ain't no goin' back
Foot of Pride
JCH Street Pan 400 - Jan 2023
JCH Street Pan 400 - Jan 2023
Santa 1000 - Jan 2023
My son looks up at a billboard paying tribute to the late Michael Snow
Santa 1000 - Jan 2023
Mamakas Taverna on Ossington
Santa 1000 - Jan 2023
Waiting Game
Arista EDU 200 - Jan-Feb 2023
Agfa APX 400 - Jan - Mar 2023
Man in Black
Agfa APX 400 - Mar 2023
Life Is Beautiful
Agfa APX 400 - Jan - Mar 2023
Agfa APX 400 - Jan - Mar 2023
Agfa APX 400 - Jan - Mar 2023
Not For Sale
Arista EDU 200 - Mar 2023
The next four images were taken on Rollei RPX 100 film with an Olympus Pen EE-3 half frame camera that I received from my father.
The first two images were taken immediately one after the other and were intended as a pair.
Taken during an unexpected mayoral election campaign, to me they represented opposing views of where Toronto might be headed.
I like how the next two images pair together also...
There's been a lot of buzz in the film community lately due to Pentax releasing a new half frame camera called "17" (a great write-up by Analogue Wonderland).
It looks like a very well put together camera for half frame film photography.
Reformed Film Lab did a helpful video about the new "Pentax 17" as well.
The next three images are from a trip to California that I did in May of 2023. All taken on Kodak Tri-X 400 film.
The above image appears in my California Road Trip - Part II blog post.
The next six images were shot in May - June 2023 with Ilford Pan F 50.
This was a new film type for me to shoot with, and I'm especially happy with what I captured here...
The remains of one of the beautiful arches at Bloor Street United Church. The church is undergoing a massive redevelopment that will finish in 2026.
In June 2023 I shot a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 with my Lomography Sprocket Rocket panoramic camera...
Click here to see more images - mostly colour photos - that I captured with the Lomography Sprocket Rocket.
I shot another roll of Ilford Pan F 50 in July 2023.
The next three images were captured on that film.
But Here We Are
WHAT'S NEXT
Warning!!! x 3
Yonge and Dundas - a place to encounter a wide variety of ideas
The next four images were taken on Kentmere 400 during a visit to Montreal in August 2023.
The view from St. Joseph's Oratory
Rue Ste Catherine
The next five images were taken in August 2023 with Arista EDU 200 film.
Private Property is Fake
I had a nice chat with the owner/guardian of these two dogs. This was right next to the wonderful Berczy Park Dog Fountain.
I got a deal on an old Holga 120 film camera and shot a couple of rolls with it. Here is one image that I especially liked:
Ilford Delta 400 Pro
In August 2023 I purchased an expired roll of Kodak Tri-X film from a vendor at the St. Jacob's Farmers Market.
When I finished shooting the roll and had it developed, I was very surprised to discover that it had already been exposed!
I was not informed of this by the person who sold me the film - only that it was from a local photographer who had kept it refrigerated.
This led to some rather wild double exposures that are worthy of a separate blog post.
Here are three images taken from that roll.
The first image features Paris, France based artist Paul Collins in front of the wonderful Stephen Bulger Gallery - blended with a wintery scene.
Kodak Tri-X film - Nov-Dec 2023
The double exposure factor is less dramatic the the next two images, but I particularly like these compositions.
Annex Stroll
Kodak Tri-X film - Nov-Dec 2023
The Hidden Path
Kodak Tri-X film - Nov-Dec 2023
A trip to the Christmas One of A Kind show in November 2023 brought me a few nice exposures (the next three images).
Enercare Centre
Kodak Double-X 5222 250 film
Kodak Double-X 5222 250 film
Sacrifice
Kodak Double-X 5222 250 film
Long Live Palestine
Kodak Double-X 5222 250 film - Nov 2023
This next image came about as one of the workers saw me with my camera. He tried guessing what camera I was using and I learned that he is also a photographer. He and his colleagues let me take their photo and we exchanged contact info.
His reaction when I sent him this photo really made me smile. "NO FREAKING WAY That's so sick!!!!"
Potsdam 100 - Dec 2023
I'll end with this photo of two artists that I chatted with inside the AGO. They were making beautiful sketches of the buildings across the street.
I'll share more about this encounter in a future Instagram post.
Fomapan 400 - Dec 2023
Click here to see my Favourite Colour Film Photos of 2023!
For more black and white film photos, here are my favourites from previous years:
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
All of my past film photo blog posts can be found here.
Follow me on Instagram to see a wider variety of images - both film and digital.
Thanks for looking!